Safety-starter



A; E. DETZEL.

SAFETY STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ. m7.

. 1 ,697 v Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

Fig.1. /6 Q Q m. I "0m n,-

unrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADAM E. DETZEL, OF CINCINNATI; OHIO.

SAFETY-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- .Application filed August 7, 1917. Serial No. 184,881;

bustion engines, in which means are employed for absorbing the shock occasioned by back fire and for stopping reverse rotation of an internal combustion engine in which back fire has occurred.

A further object of my invention is to produce an improved safety starting device for internal combustion engines which is readily adapted to be applied to existing types of internal combustion engines without alteration thereof. 7

These and other objects are attained in the safety starting device described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which;

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved device. 1

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of my improved construction, the cover plate having been removed.

The preferred form of my improved construction, illustrated in Figs. 1' and 2, consists of a casing 5 which is rotatively mounted upon the starting shaft 6 of an automobile, a ratchet 7 which is secured to the shaft, and a pawl 8 which engages the ratchet and is yieldingly mounted. Shaft 6 is reciprocally mounted in the usual bearing 9 whichis located at the front of an automobile, so that its clutch member 10 may be brought into engagement with the cooperating clutch member 11 secured to the engine shaft 12.

The usual cap of bearing 9 is removed and a different cap 13 secured in place thereof, this cap having lugs 14 and 15 formed thereon with pins 16 and 17 extending from the lugs. Casing 5 is provided with openings 18 and 19 in which the respective pins 16 and 17 are located to permit of reciprocation of the casing thereon without rotation thereof wvith shaft 6. Back of the casing a spring 20 is located to force the casing and conse quently the shaft toward the front to hold its clutch member 10 from engagement with clutch member 11. Within an extension 21 Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

of casing 5 a spring 22 which surrounds a reciprocally mounted rod 23, is located.

Rod, 23 at its upper end is provided with a head 24 upon which pawl 8 is pivotally mounted. In the'lower end of extension 21 an externally screw threaded spring tension adjusting nut 25 is located, the nut also formina a guide for rod 23.

In the operation of the above described preferred form of my improved starting device, shaft 6, upon which the starting crank has been mounted is pushed inwardly to bring the clutch members 10 and 11 into engagement with each other. This operation causes ratchet 7, which is secured to shaft 6, to move casing 5 against the tension of spring 20 and thereby to cause it to slide upon pins 16 and 17. The usual cranking operationis nOW carried out. Should a back fire occur to rotate the engine shaft 12 in the direction indicated by arrow A in Fig. 1, the starting shaft 6 will be rotated in the same direction, but ratchet 7, which is en gaged by pawl 8, will drive the pawl downwardly against the tension of spring 22. The spring will check the reverse rotation of both shafts 6 and 12 and simultaneously absorb the shock occasioned by the back fire, without transmitting any severe shocks to the person who is cranking the engine.

In the preferred and in the modified forms of my invention the action of .spring 20 is to move shaft 6 toward the front after the engine has been started, thus carrying casing 45 to a position such as disclosed in Fig. 1, and simultaneously disengaging clutch members 10 and 11.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is;

A safety starting device comprising a starting shaft, a casing mounted upon the starting shaft, adapted to permit rotation of the shaft therein, a bearing for the shaft, lugs extending from the bearing adapted to permit reciprocation of the casing and to prevent rotation thereof, a ratchet secured to the shaft within the casing, a pawl located within the casing, adapted to engage the ratchet, a spring operatively connected with the pawl to permit yielding movement of the pawl upon rotation of the ratchet in a reverse direction, and means adapted to adjust the tension of the spring.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 6th day of August,

WALTER F. MURRAY, W. THORNTON BOGERT. 

